Wire stripper



April 26, 1949.

c. c. SHEPARD 2,468,122

WIRE STRIPPER Filed March 12, 1945 2-K I I 2 5- INVENTOR.

CHESTER C. SHEPARD ATTORNEY Patented Apr. 26, 1949 UNITED STATES PATENTOFFICE (Granted under the act of March 3, 1883, as

amended April '30, 1928; 370 O. G. 757) 2 Claims.

The invention describedherein may be manufactured and used by or for theGovernment for governmental purposes, without the payment to me of anyroyalty thereon.

The invention to be hereinafter described relates to wire strippers forremoving the covering of covered wires.

In the use of electrical conductors, particularly flexible conductorssuch as are used in communication systems in telephony, telegraphy,signalling, etc. there is continuous need for stripping the outercovering, usually of insulation, from various lengths of the wire used.

A large number of devices have been developed for this purpose. Some aremachine operated and some hand operated.

Th main objects of the present invention are to provide a hand operatedstripping device of the character described which will be simple,efficient, compact, readily firmly grasped in the hand for use andcapable of quantity production at moderate cost.

In order to more clearly disclose the construction, operation, and useof the invention reference should be had to the accompanying drawingsforming part of the present application.

Throughout the several figures of the drawings, like referencecharacters designate the same parts in the different views.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a top plan view, with stripping blade shown dotted;

Fig. 12 is an end view of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 .is a front view of Fig. 1; and

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary cross section showing :1

the blade in place, taken on the line 4-4 of Fig. 1.

Referring to the drawings in detail, I indicates a metal block of whichthere are two, made as complementary to each other or as cooperatingmembers of a pair. Preferably the ends and rear edges are rounded as at2 and the top and bottom are dished as at 3. This, when the two blockshave been assembled as a unit provides a complete smooth surfaced devicereadily and efficiently gripped in the hand of the user and equally forright handed or left handed use.

Th front edge, in assembled relation, of each block is bevelled from endto end rearwardly from its outer to its inner face, as at 4, so that, inassembled position, the two bevels 4 combine to form a V with itsgreatest depth along the center of the front edge and the inclines orbevels 4 extending outwardly therefrom.

Each block I is also provided with a shallow stripper blade groovefi, ofsuch width as to freely receive a stripper blade 6. Since each block isprovided with such a groove, th depth of each groove will beapproximately equal to one half of the thickness of the blade 6. Onlyvery slightly greater increase in depth is required and used to providefree sliding movement of blade 6 in groove 5 for adjustments. Blade 6may be secured in various adjusted positions by a set screw '1 or anyother well known and acceptable means.

Preferably, though not necessarily, each groove 5 extends completelythrough its respective block from front to rear, providing readyinsertion of the blade for change, renewal, sharpening, etc.

Intersecting each bevel 4 is a V-notch 8. The bottom of this notch isapproximately perpendicular to the plane of groove 5 of the respectiveblock l, extending inwardly or backwardly from the front edge toward therear of the block and so disposed as to fall in line with thelongitudinal center of groove 5, when assembled. Thus, as shown in Fig.1, th two V-notches 8, in assembled relation, are aligned andsubstantially continuous. Also, the bottoms of V-notches 8 form a lineor channel perpendicular to grooves 5 at the longitudinal center of saidgrooves. Preferably, the side walls or faces of the v-notches 8 are eachat inclines of approximately 45 degrees .so that the two faces, at theirintersection 01' at the bottom of the V-notch, are at :90 degrees orform a right angle.

Stripper blade 6 is provided with a taper-ed or pointed stripping endhaving two stripping edges 9 each at approximately 45 degrees incline orangle relative to the longitudinal axis of the blade. They are disposedto intersect at, approximately, an angle of 90 degrees in a point 10.When assembled, point it, the bottoms of notches 8, the longitudinalcenter of blade .6 and the longitudinal centers of grooves 5 are all inthe same plane which is substantially perpendicular to the plane of theinner or contacting faces of blocks I Each stripping edge 9 is equallybevelled oppositely to place the edge at the center of or midway betweenthe faces of the blade. Blades so made, when one edge 9 becomes dull,may be turned over to substitute the other edge, as will be readilyunderstood. Or either edge may be used indifferently, or one edge may beused by a right-handed person and the opposite edge by a left-handedperson, as will be clear. Such construction, mounting andinterchangeability greatly increase the versatility or range of use ofthe stripper as a whole.

Placing the blade near one end, in combination with the features aboveset forth make it possible to change the stripper over from right toleft hand and vice-versa, at will. With the stripper gripped in theclosed palm of the right hand, the notches 8 and blade 6 will beadjacent the right hand end of the device. By turning the device over orinverting it, the same notches and blade are, in effect, carried to theopposite end of the device and are in proper position, without otherchange, by a left-handed person. The device thus becomes equally usableby right and left-handed people.

In operation, when it is desired to strip a length of Wire, the wire isplaced in the stripper V- notches 8 with the edge 9 contacting the wirediametrically at the point corresponding to the length to be stripped.It is rotated against the blade edge 9 to cut through the covering atthat point. Then the length of wire above that point is drawn throughthe longitudinal V-groove with the point of the blade splitting thecovering lengthwise throughout the part to be stripped. Next, the partto be stripped is drawn through the V-notches 8 in the usual strippingaction, blade 6 removing or stripping the covering from the wire.

' While blocks I have been shown as welded along their adjoining edgesit is to be understood that they may be otherwise connected. They may bedetachably secured together as by screws, 7

bolts and nuts, clamps, dove-tail and groove, etc. Welding along edgesof contacting faces is found to be most practical and is preferred.However the two blocks are or may be connected and, when :3.

securely connected, they provide a unitary structure.

As will be obvious, the angle between the edge 9 and the respectiveadjacent face or wall of the corresponding V-notch 8 provides therestricted passage through which the wire is drawn for stripping. Whilethis angle will remain constant, stripper 6 may be adjusted to projectedges 9 and point It) any desired degree outwardly from blocks 1 intothe aligned Vs 8, thereby bringing the stripping action correspondinglyforward or rearward relative to blocks 1 and the device, as a whole.

It is thought thatthe construction, operation and use of the inventionwill be clear from the preceding detailed description.

Changes may be made in the construction, arrangement and disposition ofthe various parts of the invention within the scope of the appendedclaims without departing from the field of the invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to protectby Letters Patent is:

1. In a stripper for removing the covering from covered wire, for bothright and left hand use, a body which is substantially symmetrical sothat it may be gripped by either the right or left hand,

a substantially flat exterior operating surface on said body, saidsurface being cut by two grooves which are substantially perpendicularto each other, each of said grooves being substantially 5 V-shaped intransverse cross section, a stripping blade extending at least partlythrough said body and adjustably securable relative thereto, said bladebeing provided with a pointed end having two cutting edges angulatedrelative to each '10 other and in a plane substantially parallel to afirst of said grooves and perpendicular to the second thereof, said endextending from said body into said grooves substantially through theapexes thereof so that the cutting edges of said blade are so positionedrelative to the grooves that they may cut the covering on a Wirelengthwise when said wire is drawn axially through the first of saidgrooves, and may out said covering circumferentially when said wire isrotated about its axis 30 while positioned in the second of saidgrooves, and may strip said covering from said wire when said Wire isdrawn axially through the second of said grooves.

2. In a wire stripper, a body, a substantially I fiat exterior operatingsuface on said body, two grooves traversing said surface substantiallyperpendicular to each other, each of said grooves being substantiallyV-shaped in transverse cross section, said body being provided with ablade channel extending at least partly therethrough and opening intosaid grooves substantially at the intersection of their apexes, anelongated substantially flat blade disposed at least partly in saidchannel and longitudinally adjustable therein, a pointed substantiallyV-shaped cutting edge on one end of said blade and extending into saidgrooves substantially at their intersection, so that the plane of saidcutting edge is substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of oneof said grooves and substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axisof the other of said grooves.

CHESTER C. SHEPARD.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the .file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 50 Number Name Date 562,097 Rieckel June 16, 18961,062,310 Waite May 20, 1913 1,165,17 6 Hornor Dec. 21, 1915 1,692,030Friedman Nov. 20, 1928 55 1,725,114 Van Gelderen Aug. 20, 1929 2,292,729Woodward Aug. 11, 1942 2,410,252 'I'orrence Oct. 29, 1946 FOREIGNPATENTS 50 Number Country Date 69,402 Switzerland June 16, 1915

